A Saphire Ring
by HeraldHealer
Summary: One-Shot. Sequele to Kin to the Turks... Just a Rufus fluff, The man needs some loveing.


Rae paused thoughtfully outside of the door of the office, reflecting on the fact of what was a total impossibility three years ago was now just of her routine. Reno her older brother glared at her and opened the door, "He doesn't have all day, yo," Reno said pointedly. Rae nodded at her big brother and entered the room giving him finger behind her back so the Rufus Shinra couldn't see it. "Reno," the former president of the Shinra electric power company commanded "please guard the door." Reno shut the door and stood out side having the disadvantage to not being able to shoot the birdie at his sister without his boss seeing.

The President and the Ke'etria regarded each other for a few minuets with out talking. Each took the other's measure, weighing body language, and other more subtle clues about what the other were thinking. "Have you found any thing?" Rufus finally asked Rae when he decided that this time she wasn't going to speak first. He was beginning to respect Rae's ability to keep her cards close to her vest, one master to another.

A smile played across her lips, but failed to reach her eyes. Rufus hid his dismay. "Nothing good, and nothing new: The Calamity is unsealed, the earth is tainted especially around the reactors, and no one can teach us more than what we already know."

Liz had been standing against the wall, silent up till that moment. Of course Rae had sensed her presence but Liz was so relaxed around Rufus, Rae couldn't bring herself to remind Liz that he played a major role in the mess the Planet was in. Not as the sight of her friend's relaxation became rarer with each passing day. Rufus's battle cat Dark Nation was winding itself around Liz's legs and purring. Dark Nation's temperament was legendary among the Turks; usually Reno came home cursing the creature and nursing deep scratches at least once a week. "The psychic attacks on Kira have stopped but other that…" she trailed off and sighed. The Geostigma still appeared and it seemed that Aeris's pool only healed those who thought they deserved healing. For a born healer like Liz, the inability to do anything about the Geostigma was nothing but torture.

Lea shrugged, "Survey's complete, and nothing appeared that we didn't already guess or wasn't complete common sense turned up. Except for that blessed Library: I haven't seen hide or hair of the cussed thing."

Three years ago Rufus would have been very irate at the news, if he had believed what had been reported. "I can't say I really expected to hear anything different, but I had hoped. Thank you for doing what you could. I wish I could do more to help you find a teacher," Rufus addressed the comment to the three of them but Rae and Lea could tell although if was complete truth, the last part was more directed at Liz than them. Do you think we should? Rae thought at Lea. Nope, let's just keep him guessing, Lea thought back, mischief coloring her thoughts. After a pause to think Lea responded Rae's wordless query, Seriously, yes, I think you should, but it's so fun to tease people. 

The meeting broke up rather quickly after that. Lea and Liz left but Rae lingered. "You said you had something to speak with me about," Rufus told Rae as the door shut. "This has something to do with Liz, doesn't it?" he asked shrewdly. He smirked a little at the look on Rae's face. "Are you absolutely sure that you're not a mind reader?" Rae asked him wryly. "But, to get strait to the point, how much did Liz tell you about the nature of Ke'et bonding?" Rae had the slight satisfaction of seeing Rufus blink before he narrowed his eyes. His semi-relaxed demeanor was gone, replaced by a cool one that was all business and subtly threatening. "Why do you ask?" Rufus retorted.

"Trust my talents at least, even if you don't personally trust me," Rae told him flatly. "I don't get anything like foresight very often but right now that's I'm following up on." Rufus dropped his threatening stance, and looked interested but did not relax.

"Not much," he admitted. "I know that you need to form one if you are ever going to have children and that it's a kind of mental bond and it had something to do with connecting minds and dropping shields. And that sex didn't come in to the picture. But I don't see how that could be right." He looked thoughtful "That's the only time I've ever seen her blush that particular shade of crimson."

"Then I think I'd better clarify," Rae replied. Sinking into a chair, she steepled her fingers. "Well, the first part's right, Ke'etria can't have kids with out their bond mate who may or may not be Ke'et. The bond is soul deep, unbreakable, and it is constant through the cycle of life death and rebirth. In each lifetime the bond has to be woken up. I think that's what Liz was talking about when she was talking about when she mentioned something about linking minds and dropping shields. Sex definitely does that. In fact sex is the normal method of awakening the bond. But Liz is a powerful empath and if she ever gets anything like training she'll be an extraordinary healer. It's conceivable that she could wake the connection by making out or even with just a kiss." And then there are her traditional views in that area, Rae added in the privacy of her own head. "If she made a conscious effort she probably could awake the bond with out any physical contact."

"Where did you learn all this?" Rufus asked causally. Rae caught the few subtle hints in his tone and body language that belied his tone, a feat few could accomplish.

"Liz told Lea and I all she knew shortly after we met and discovered our powers. That and I read a fair amount on the subject when I was in that library."

"There must be signs of this bond," Rufus mused out loud. Rae nodded, "There are. The books said that there are feelings of connection, awareness of what the other is thinking even under the heaviest mental shields, strong physical attraction, being only interested in that person, being completely at ease with said person."

Rufus looked Rae sharply in the eyes. "What are you driving at," he demanded. Rae didn't break eye contact.

"Only I suspect, with the full weight of my talent--whatever that's worth--behind it that you should know the signs of being bondmates. Because once a bond is awakened nothing short of opening you soul fully to the Calamity is going to block it, and according to Kira even Jenova can't break the bond. Bondmates are tied together; what one feels the other feels, if one is injured the other feels the pain, if one is killed the other dies in the same instant, and bondmates can't hide their thoughts from one another." Rae looked thoughtful for a moment, eyes grey in the late afternoon light. "Jenova and Sephiroth are the exceptions that prove the rule."

As Rae turned to leave Rufus stopped her placing his hand on her wrist, "Why are you telling me all this? I know you still don't trust me entirely."

"Because I know Liz won't," Rae replied seriously. "Not because she doesn't trust you, but because between Sephiroth, Meteor, and Geostigma she's lost a good percent of the people close to her to the Shadow Lover and a part of her thinks she's cursed, when she's no more cursed than everyone else on this world. If something is going to happen, if something is there, then you are going have to be the one to initiate it. Just think about what I've told you. That said it's really none of my business now."

Rae's business or not she wasn't entirely surprised when a month and a half later Liz, started wearing sapphire ring on chain around her neck, falling just below the Celtic cross she always wore. She was even less surprised when Liz dinged her off side the head, hard, and said "Thank You."


End file.
